Where There Is No Dentist 2012 97
2. Tooth knocked out
When a tooth is knocked out of the mouth, you should ask two questions:
(1) Was it a baby tooth? (2) How long ago did it happen?
Baby tooth. There is no reason to try to put a baby tooth back into the socket.
Tell the child to bite on some cotton to stop the bleeding. Then wait for the
permanent tooth to replace it. Warn the mother that the permanent tooth
may take more time than usual to grow into the mouth.
Similarly, there is no need for
treatment if the baby tooth is
pushed up under the gum.
The tooth may grow back into the
right place later, or it may turn dark
and die. If you see a darkened tooth
or a gum bubble (page 74), take out
the baby tooth before it hurts the
permanent tooth that is growing
under it.
Permanent tooth. A permanent tooth is worth saving. How long ago was
it knocked out? If it was less than 12 hours ago, you can put a permanent
tooth back into the socket. The sooner you do this the better, so do not
wait. If you replace the tooth in the first hour, it has a much better
chance of joining with the gum and bone. In order to heal and to join the
bone, the tooth must be held firmly.
a) Wash the tooth
gently with saline,
milk, or clean water.
There should not be
any bits of dirt on the
root of the tooth.
Keep the tooth
damp with wet
cotton gauze.
Do not scrape away any skin from the
root or from the inside of the socket.